SEAT has revised the engine line-up for its Leon hatchback and estate range, which has also been given a larger infotainment screen as standard.
Rivalled by the BMW 1 Series, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, the Leon is still available with petrol, diesel, petrol mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid engine options, but SEAT says it has now dropped the family car’s entry-level 1.0-litre petrol engine.
The lead-in option is now a new 115hp 1.5-litre petrol – 5hp more than the previous entry-level choice – which is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The same engine is also available with 48V of mild-hybrid power with an output of 115hp or 150hp. These options are instead mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
The range also includes a 2.0-litre diesel, and a new range-topping 204hp plug-in hybrid, which combines the 150hp 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 115PS (85kW) electric motor to deliver an electric-only range of around 62 miles.
Inside, the infotainment screen included as standard is now ten inches in diameter, up from eight inches, and sits above illuminated slider controls for the climate control. The hatchback and estate range can now be specced with more advanced matrix LED headlamps as an optional extra too.
The SEAT Leon currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 72%. It scores top marks for its low average CO2 emissions (helped by the plug-in hybrid models), while its safety rating and running costs are also good. The only downside is that reliability has been sub-par.
